The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1887-05-19
FOOD FRAUDS.
The Shameful Use of Lime and Alum in
Chaau Baking 80Mders.

The Shameful Use of Lime and Alum in
Cheap Baking Powders.
Many food frauds, such chicory coffee |
watered milk, although they swindie in |
a commercial sense, often tolerated because |
they do not particularly affect the health of the
consumer; but when article like baking
powder, that enters largely into the food of
every family, and is relied upon for the health
full preparation of almost every meal is so made
as to carry highly injurious, if not rankly pois
onous, elements into the bread to the imminent
danger of the entire community, it is the duty
of the press to denounce the practice in the most
emphatic terms.
Among recent important discoveries by the
| food analysis is that by Prof. Mott, the U. S.
Government Chemist, of large amounts of lime
| and alum in the cheap baking powders. These
| are, one the most dangerous. and the other the
most useless adulterants yet fou nd in the low
| grade, inferior baking powders. 1t is start
| ling fact that of over hundred different
brands of baking powders so far a.alyzed, COM
prsing all those sold in this vicinity, not of
| them, with the single exception of the Royal
Baking Powder, was found. free from both ..line
and alum. The chief service of lime is to add
weight. 1t is true that lime, when subjected to
heat, gives off certain amount of carbonic
acid gas, but quick-liIne is left-a caustic so
powerful tn It it is used by tanners to eat the
hair from hides of animals, and in dissecting
rooms to more quickly rot the flesh from the
bones of dead subjects. A small quantity of
dry lime upon the tongue, or in the eye, pro-
duces painful effects: how much more seriou.
must these effects be on the delicate membranes
| of tba stomach intpstnas aud l<idpays
particularly of infants and children, and especi-
ally when the lime is taken INTO the system day
, after day, and with almost every meal. This is
said by physicians to be one of the chief cause:
of indigestion, dyspepsia, and those painful dis
: eases or the kidneys now prevalent. In
stances of the most serious affections of the lat
, ter organs from drinking lime water found ii
some sections of the West are noted in ever,
!, medical journal.
Adulteration with lime is quite much I
be dreaded as with alum which has hereto
- fore received the most emphatic condennatio
from every food analyst, physician and chem
/ ist, for the reason that, while alum is probabl
I, partially dissolved and passed off in gas by til
e heat of baking, it is impossible to destroy
n change the nature of the lime in any degree,
20 that the entire amount in the baking powd'
1t passes with all its injurious properties, into tt
stomach. When we state that the chenis
" have found twelve per cent or one-eighth
If the entire weight of some samples of bakir
is powder analysed, to be lime, the wickedne
! of the adulteration will be fully apparent.
Pure baking powders are one of the Chi
aids to the cook in preparing perfect and Who'll
% some food. While those to be obtained
III we'll established reputati on, like the Royal,
whose purity there has never been and cam
tie be question, it is proper to avoid all others,